Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some players often get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same notion in almost all poker games.

A lower hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem complicated at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of play simply enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming assortment of betting options and seeing that you have many players battling for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha High-Low.